"Panne!"
The loud shout of her name made the Taguel jump her crouched spot behind a thick bush. She almost let out a loud groan of annoyance as she saw her prey – a defenseless bear – finally glance around and sense that she was eying it, and quickly fled the area. Her eyebrows knitted together, and grumbled as Ricken bounded over next to her. And of course, there was no fear from the man. Not that she didn't like that, but it wasn't the greatest feeling. She was used to being isolated and feared – two significant emotions she felt all of her life.
But Ricken was never once afraid.
Skidding to a halt, the mage held onto his hat before it could flutter off his head. He cleared his throat in a 'manly' manner to grab her attention. "Here you are! Everyone's waiting back at base for dinner!"
"Fool," Panne muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "I need to hunt for my own meal." Albeit she had been with the Shepherds for about two weeks, she still didn't trust many of them. Having seen humans as the cause of the genocide of her people made her extremely uncomfortable around them, which was why she kept her distance for the time being. But Ricken was dense-headed when it came to personal space.
Smiling, Ricken closed his tome. "We have enough meat for tonight's dinner for everyone to have seconds," he pointed out truthfully. His boots kicked at the bush as he received no response, so he chuckled gently. "C'mon, Panne. Let's go back to base. I saved a piece just for you."
Throughout her scowling and declining, Ricken's gloved hand grabbed her own, making her freeze. As irritated as she was, she couldn't help the small reddish hue brushing her cheeks, accompanied with sweatdropping. The insult that was going to be tossed at him caught stuck in her throat, with her mouth agape. "Y-you whelp."
Everyone had begun to dig into the feast, all surrounding a large, warm campfire. When Ricken was seen dragging the Taguel, a greeting was tossed from all of the hungry Sheperds.
She, ironically, felt welcomed by these humans…
a/n: firefly-knight asked: "I saved a piece for you." / i promise last one but / pannicken ?